Method of making footwear



Nov. 9, 1937. F. F. OLSON METHOD OF MAKING FOOTWEAR Filed Nov. 20, 1934 2721577275 fiEdEEZcA'F 17/5027 Patented Nov. 9, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE METHOD or MAKING FOOTWEAR Frederick F. Olson, Belmont, Mass., assignor to 7 Hood Rubber Company, Inc, Watertown, Mass.,

a. corporation of Delaware Application November 20, 1934, Serial No. 753,885

4 Claims.

This invention relates to the making of footwear, especiallyrubber footwear of the overshoe type.

The chief objects of the invention are topro- ,5 vide an improved method of making footwear, to

provide for simplicity of procedure, to provide for economy of materials and to provide at the same time for uniform high quality in the product.

A more specific object is to provide for making rubber footwear with a lining continuous over its bottom and for conveniently shaping such lining without the formation of wrinkles or other undesirable roughness or weakness of the structure.

These and further objects will. be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan View, with parts broken away, of a rubber and fabric upper blank used in the preferred procedure of the invention.

Fig. '2 is a perspective view, with a part broken away, of a heel and shank piece.

Fig. .3 is a perspective view of a preliminary building form adapted to be used in producing the invention in its preferred form and having upon it certain of the shoe parts in the process of assembly in the manner of the preferred procedure.

' Fig. 4 is a side elevation, with parts broken away, of the building form of Fig. 3 and the shoe parts assembled and shaped upon it.

Fig. 5 is a section on an enlarged scale taken along the line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

' Fig. 6 is a bottom view, with parts broken away, of the assembly of Fig. 4.

' Fig. 7 is a perspective view, with parts broken away, of a final shaping-last with the shoe assembly upon it.

Fig. 8 is a side elevation of the completed overshoe.

In the preferred procedure of the invention the shoe is made by two shaping operations, the first a preliminary shaping and assembling of certain of the shoe parts from the flat upon a building 5 form of less complex contour than the foot-shaped last upon which the shoe is finally shaped, but of such dimensional relation to the last that the partially formed structure that is stripped from the building form can be conveniently mounted upon the last in a well-fitted condition upon it. This procedure is useful especially in forming the shoe with its lining extending entirely across the shoe bottom, making it possible to eliminate the usual insole. By the invention, this structure can be formed conveniently from fiat parts without producing wrinkles or other malformations, especially at the shoe bottom where smoothness is especially important.

Referring to the drawing, a blank I0, preferably consisting of vamp and counters in one. 5 piece, is formed in the flat from sheet material. This blank preferably comprises a stockinette or other fabric lining i I, which is coated on its outer face with a friction coat of rubber I2, and. throughout all but the marginal portions A, A, 10 B, B, and the sole overlapping portions C, C, as shown in Fig. 1, with a thicker layer of rubber I3 to provide the body of the shoe, all adhered together. A heel and shank piece I 4 may also be formed in the flat of rubberized fabric l5 and a 15 'fiber heel stiffener l6 (Fig. 2).

The parts I!) and [4 are assembled upon a preliminary building form I! which is of a simplified shape, as compared to the final foot shape, such as to make it easy to shape the parts from the 20 fiat upon it to obtain a sock-like structure that subsequently can be given the final, more complex shaping accurately.

The form I! which may be of wood or any other suitable material, preferably is narrow and 25 has generally fiat sides, as shown in Figs. 3 to 6, against which the flat shoe parts may be easily shaped, and, in order to providethe necessary amount of shoe material in the correct disposition, the form is made of the proper depth at 30 each position along its length. Also to the end of facilitating the assembly of the shoe parts upon it conveniently and without wrinkles, the top surface l8 of the form is preferably made straight (Fig. 4) so that the blank Ill can be mounted 5 simply by applying its longitudinal, central zone to the surface l8 and then spreading the two sides of the upper downward toward the rear along the surfaces of the form (Fig. 3).

At its lower part the form tapers gradually to 40 a narrow, rounded bottom surface, upon which the margins C, C of the lining material II are drawn, trimmed and fitted together, preferably in a butt seam, after an adhesive strip l9 and the heel and instep piece [4 have been first po- 5 sitioned upon the bottom of the form.

The blank preferably is applied rubber side next to the form so that slipping of the parts on the surface of the form is resisted by the rubber and so that the assembly can be removed by 50 simply stripping it off toward the front while turning it insideout. In order that the parts may be maintained accurately in position at the bottom of the form during the assembly, the form bottom preferably is provided with a sur- 55 face that is tacky or that can be rendered tacky as by dampening it with benzol. For this purpose a strip 20 of suitable material is secured to the form to constitute a part thereof, this strip preferably comprising unvulcanized or-partially vulcanized rubber with comminuted fiber intermixed with it, so that a firm but temporary adhesion of the rubber surfaces of the shoe parts to it may be obtained. This strip extends from the toe of the form to the breast of the heel thereof along the sole of the form, the surface being recessed to receive the strip, as shown in Fig. 5. At the rear face of the form the shoe blank may be joined in a butt seam, but here it is ordinarily satisfactory to overlap'the margins A, A, asat 2| (Fig. 6).

When these shoe parts, namely the upper l0,

heel and shank piece l4 and strip l9, have been thus applied and fitted together on the form IL;

the assembly is ready for transfer ontoa final shaping last 22 (Fig. 7). This may be conveniently effected Without separating the joined bottom margins of the upper. All that is required is to separate the rear margins at 2| down to the heel and peel the assembly off the form toward the toe, turning it inside out, and drawing it upon the shaping last 22 with the lining side next to the last. Owing to the dimensional relationship between the form and the last, the shoe structure easily'conforms to the shape of the last 22 without objectionable wrinkles or slack portions.

The remaining'shoe parts may now be added, including an outsole 23, a sole filler 24, toe piece 25 and edging 26. Upon pressing on the sole, the thin strip i9 becomes embedded in the solematerial and a smooth, lined inner bottom is provided without requiring an insole. After trimming and vulcanizing, the shoe is completed as shown in Fig. 8;

I claim:

1. The method of making a high-heeled article of footwear which comprises providing a form of less width than that of a'last of usual shape for the size of footwear being made and corresponding substantially in perimeter upon any plane of cross-section to the perimeter at a corresponding plane of cross-section of the last, and formed with a high heel portion'of a shape substantially corresponding to the final shape of the heel portion of the footwear, fitting a rubberized upper material upon the form and extending across the bottom thereof and around the heel portion, removing the fitted article from the form and mounting it upon a last of the aforementioned shape, and completing the article of footwear.

2. The method of making a high-heeled article of footwear which comprises providing a form of less width than that of a last of usual shape for the size of footwear being made and corresponding substantially in perimeter upon any plane of cross-section to the perimeter at a corresponding plane of cross-section of the last, and formed with a heel portion of a shape substantially corresponding to the final shape of the heel portion of the footwear, applying a shank piece to the shank portion of the form, fitting rubberized upper material upon the form and extending across the bottom thereof and around the heel portion, re-

moving the fitted article from the form and mounting it upon a last of the aforementined shape, and completing the article of footwear.

3. The method of making a high-heeled article of footwear which comprises providing a form of less width than that of a last of usual shape for the size of footwear being made and corresponding substantially in perimeter upon any plane of cross-section to the perimeter at a corresponding plane of cross-section of the last, and formed with a heel portion of a shape substantially corresponding to the final shape of the heel portion of the footwear, applying a shank piece to the shank portion of the form, fitting a rubberized one-piece upper upon the form with its rubber side toward the form, abutting the'margins of the upper along the bottomof the sole portion, seaming margins thereof over the shank piece, removing the article from the form and drawing it over a last of the aforementioned shape in reversed condition, and adding the sole and trimming parts to complete the shoe.

4. The method of making a high-heeled article of footwear which comprises providing-a form of less width than that of a last of usual shape for the size of footwear being made, and corresponding substantially in perimeter upon any plane of cross-section to the perimeter at a corresponding plane of cross-section of the last, and formed with a heel portion of a shape substantially corresponding to the final shape of the heel portion of the footwear, applying a heel and. shank piece of rubberized material over the heel seat, breast and shank portions of the form, applying a rubberized one-piece upper over the form with its rubberized side toward the form, abutting the margins of the upper along the center line of the sole portion, seaming margins thereof over the heel and shank piece, fitting the sides of the upper to each other along the back of the shoe, removing the article from the form and drawing it over a last of the aforementioned shape in reversed condition and adding the sole and trimming parts to complete the shoe.

FREDERICK F. OLSON. 

